President Muhammadu Buhari
By Emmanuel Ogor
ABUJA/Nigeria: Despite what seems to be positive progress from the medical angle on the novel Pandemic Coronavirus in Nigeria, the country is been tasked to put other needs in proper perspective to avoid the prediction of several experts and organisations in charge of social welfare in the world.
Reechoing the recent warning of the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, that Nigeria is threatened by the twin shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanied sharp fall in international oil prices, a civil society group, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre in conjunction with Transparency International Nigeria had advocated for what the government should put in place to avoid the expected shock.
In a press release made available to Ndokwa Reporters, which was signed by Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), Executive Director, it stated that even before the crises, more than half of Nigerians were living in abject poverty and without access to basic health services, with the crises worsening the situation.
The group stated that as a responsible and patriotic Civil Society Organization, they are calling on the Government of Nigeria to ensure complete and unreserved transparency in the health and economic response to this crisis, as the country had requested for financial assistants, while commending the announced economic measures.
“We are not unaware that Nigeria has requested financial assistance under the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) facility, in addition to the United Nations in Nigeria and the Government-launched COVID-19 Basket Fund to harmonize investments in a national pandemic response plan.”
“In addition, private donations from corporate organisations and individuals are managed under the newly established Central Bank of Nigeria private sector led COVID-19 Relief Fund Account.”
“We commend the newly announced economic mitigation measures by the Federal Government such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to protect the livelihoods.”
“It is equally encouraging to observe that the President directed the current social register to be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households. This assistance is welcome in the context of necessary pandemic mitigation measures but inadequate, considering that tens of millions of Nigerians under the poverty threshold are locked down and unable to feed themselves and their wards.”
It called for full transparency in emergency expenditures and assistance, as its important that all information regarding the financing should be published as quickly as possible.
It stated that its only when the country follow the part of transparency in implementing the policies and actions that the country will be saved from the predicted doom.
